Determining the diurnal variation in comfort temperature in school buildings in the warm and humid climate

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to determine the thermal comfort perception of schoolchildren from a warm and humid environment. There is a concern about the effect of high temperature on the health and academic performance of schoolchildren.

Design/methodology/approach

Objective and subjective methodological approaches were adopted to collect data during the fieldwork in the selected primary schools. ASHRAE adaptive comfort model was adopted to analyze the data.

Findings

The paper provided empirical results about the comfort requirements of schoolchildren from the warm and humid environment. During the occupied school time, the studied schoolchildren were found to tolerate temperatures higher than the upper limit temperature recommended by ASHRAE Standard 55. The paper recommends that the studied children may not need any active ventilator to be thermally comfortable during the occupied school hours

Originality/value

The paper found the range of temperatures that schoolchildren from the warm and humid environment can adapt to. The information may be useful to architects, engineers and facility managers

Citation

Munonye, C. (2021), "Determining the diurnal variation in comfort temperature in school buildings in the warm and humid climate", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. 39 No. 5, pp. 766-781. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-07-2020-0056